“Before becoming an official Necromancer, ethics education is mandatory. Life must be cherished. The human body and soul must be respected as they are, never viewed with anything less than reverence.”
“This is also a form of death and should not be misunderstood or treated otherwise… Well, that’s basically the gist of it. Let’s just move on.”
I quietly watch Furnel flying swiftly ahead, as if eager to teach.
“Take it slow. Don’t want you missing anything.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a very thorough Necromancer, you know.”
…Yeah.
The floor for Necromancers we moved to was as spacious as the other training areas, with several rooms.
“What are all those rooms for?”
I glance at the direction Hio is pointing, but Furnel answers casually.
“Obviously. They’re for storing corpses.”
“Corpses, huh… Well, I guess that makes sense for Necromancers.”
It feels a bit unsettling, but what can I do? I’ve already chosen the path of a Necromancer.
“Heh heh heh. Don’t worry. Once you get used to it, corpses don’t look like corpses anymore. They look like very pretty children.”
“No way…”
That made me even more uneasy, somehow feeling like it might be true.
“First, come here.”
“We head over to a spot where Furnel points to a book lying on the floor.”
“We start from the absolute basics. Animate Dead — the magic that raises corpses as zombies.”
“Just zombies?”
“Ahem. Are you getting too ambitious because you started with a Death Knight? Zombies have excellent cost-efficiency. They don’t require souls, and it doesn’t matter if the body is decomposing.”
“…Got it.”
As I pick up the book, Furnel begins to smile.
“This book uses all the essential insignias every Necromancer must master. It’ll help you get a feel for summoning the undead.”
“What’s next after mastering this?”
“Skeletons. After that, there’s Death Cutter and Bone Arrow… Anyway, you’ll learn them all eventually. These are the insignias you have to engrave. To be a proper Necromancer, you have to have solid basics.”
The book is inscribed with ancient language and various insignias.
The insignias have already been engraved, and Furnel acts like an automatic translator for the ancient script, so no problem there.
“This much is considered the 2nd Circle of Necromancy. The 3rd Circle is special. That’s when it gets interesting.”
“What is it?”
“Heh heh heh. That’s a surprise for later. For now, let’s go to the room with the corpses.”
***
「Necromancy – ‘Animate Dead’ successfully cast」
「Necromancy – ‘Animate Skeleton’ successfully cast」
「Register ‘Animate Dead’ as a skill?」
「Register ‘Animate Skeleton’ as a skill?」
Being the basic undead creation magic, it wasn’t difficult.
The corpse began to rise as soon as the spell was cast.
The eyes of the coldly preserved dead opened for the first time in ages.
It was a zombie rising once more.
Of course, as the most basic form, its durability was low, and it could only obey simple commands — a low-grade undead.
Next to it stood a skeleton with all its flesh peeled away.
Since I had summoned Nkingki, I couldn’t try activating these as skills yet, but that could wait.
“Unfortunately, these guys are disposable. They’re made with such low-grade Necromancy that they can’t be stored anywhere. Without replenishing their vigor, they’ll collapse naturally after a short while.”
Low-grade Necromancy is truly of little use compared to the effort.
“But since we have that Death God, there’s no need to worry about vigor.”
I looked at the miniature Death God Nkingki.
Nkingki puffed out his chest proudly.
As a spirit governing death, vigor continuously flowed from him, which was used to create zombies and skeletons.
Of course, it wasn’t a large amount—just enough to handle the basics.
“Normally, to maintain that basic vigor, they make a Requiem Vessel. Unlike mana, this energy can’t be stored inside the body in large amounts. You always have to carry death around and seek it whenever needed.”
“…Sounds like an extreme job.”
Nkingki is the one who solves the hardships of Necromancers.
“Still, magic like Death Cutter or Bone Arrow is okay. Just think of vigor being used for undead creation, summoning, strengthening, and maintenance.”
Next, I learned the 2nd Circle magics—Death Cutter and Bone Arrow.
They weren’t particularly useful.
Despite the grand name Death Cutter, its effect felt like a lower-tier Wind Cutter.
Bone Arrow didn’t look especially lethal either.
“Heh heh heh. Don’t be too disappointed. Didn’t I say the 3rd Circle is where it begins? Most 3rd Circle Necromancy spells are summoning types.”
“Summoning types?”
Furnel nodded.
“Summon Phantom, Summon Phantom Steed, Summon Ghost, Summon Wraith, Summon Specter. You open gates to the spirit realm and summon these ghosts.”
“Ghosts, huh…”
Hio gave Furnel a dubious look from head to toe.
“Are they actually useful?”
“Just kidding, just kidding. But, like you said earlier, it doesn’t seem all that special, does it?
Earlier you made it sound like Necromancers have all these amazing abilities, but it’s not much, is it?
Like some kind of scam ghost.”
Furnel replied sternly to Hio’s disrespectful gaze.
“Listen carefully. Don’t be surprised later.”
Summon Phantom.
Summons a ghost with no shadow.
It flies swiftly, confusing enemies.
Summon Phantom Steed.
A ghostly horse without even a shadow. Extremely fast.
Summon Wraith.
Summons a ghost of a black shadow.
It jumps out from a person’s shadow to attack enemies. Surprising, but not very powerful.
Summon Ghost.
Summons a ghost with a very dark shadow.
The area around the ghost is plunged into complete darkness.
“The one we should focus on is this—Summon Phantom Steed.”
“A ghost horse?”
Exactly.
Furnel altered its form like a toy horse, clicking hooves in midair.
“A ghost horse known for its exceptional speed. Not very impressive otherwise. Mages rarely use it directly; it’s more useful when handed to high-ranking undead from the spirit realm.”
“I won’t use it myself, but high-ranking spirit realm undead will…”
Something clicked inside me.
I began to understand what Furnel was getting at, and my eyes widened with anticipation.
“…Could it be?”
Furnel stopped moving midair and grinned widely.
“Heh heh heh heh. Yes. You guessed it. Normal people can’t ride ghost horses. It’s a largely useless magic for them. But ghosts are different.”
Yes. Ghosts are different.
Specifically, if the body is a ghost, it can ride a ghost horse.
And Hio, you absorbed the Essence of Specter at a high level, didn’t you?
You gained two traits:
Ghost’s Eye.
And Spirit Form.
It wasn’t originally intended for this use, but…
“Imagine this: you riding a phantom steed, the second-fastest in the spirit realm, racing through the air!”
And not just that.
“Combined with your clumsy traits… that would be quite a sight to see, wouldn’t it?”
Learning Summon Phantom Steed and summoning the skill-bound ghost horse.
What a glorious and spectacular display it would be!
Well, besides that, it would be a fantastic means of transportation through the air.
That alone was an incredible benefit.
“Let’s learn it quickly! Or should I raise Spirit Power first? I need to increase the duration of Spirit Form. Quickly… yeah, that’s better. Glad I didn’t spend the points I had saved.”
My body couldn’t help but heat up.
“Haah…”
“…Calm down for now… Haha.”
“Shut up!”
“…You’ve lost it. You’re seriously crazy.”
Even after spending points to increase my Magic stat, my Fame points kept accumulating steadily, so I had quite a bit of leeway.
The 4th Circle Magic still felt far away, and it seemed well worth raising Spirit Power first.
Riding a ghost horse that rapidly flies through the sky was definitely a major advantage.
「Purchase stat ‘Spirit Power’ for 190pt」
「Spirit Power +19 increased」
My soul’s strength grew even more.
Now, I only needed to learn Summon Phantom Steed to gain a very fine means of travel.
“Master! Teach me the magic quickly!”
I shook my head at Hio’s impatient urging.
He’s such a student, but only at times like this.
Still, I approached Hio to teach him the spell.
***
Indeed, the 3rd Circle magic was quite complex.
Furnel said it was because it involved opening gates to the spirit realm, but once accustomed, it would be fairly easy.
It probably took about two days.
Opening the gates to the spirit realm and summoning the ghost horse.
「Necromancy – ‘Summon Phantom Steed’ successfully cast」
「Register ‘Summon Phantom Steed’ as a skill?」
To Hio’s eyes, now enlightened by Ghost’s Eye, the scene unfolded.
The air split open, and a Phantom Steed—a ghostly horse—emerged.
Slightly larger than a normal horse.
“‘Hurry, transform into Spirit Form and try riding it. A mere 3rd Circle Necromancer riding a ghost horse… this could be a historic moment!”
At Furnel’s urging, I transformed.
More accurately, I awakened the hidden trait inside me.
「Trait – ‘Spirit Form’ activated」
My body turned faintly pale, almost ghostly.
But it wasn’t very noticeable; to the eye, I looked the same as usual.
Physical attacks simply passed through me.
That was the trait I originally acquired intentionally, but I ended up using it in a completely different way.
I climbed onto the ghost horse standing quietly.
“Ohhh…!”
There was no discomfort at all in mounting it.
“Let’s go! Phantom Steed!”
The ghost horse understood and raised its front hoof, neighing as it dashed forward.
“Uh, uh-uh?”
The speed was too fast.
“St-stop!”
BAM!
I crashed headfirst into the wall of the Magic Tower.
“Tsk tsk… Even a ghost body can’t break through the outer wall of the Magic Tower.”
Looks like I need more practice getting used to it.
***
Heuka.
Originally meaning “Black Child.”
Once a notorious evil organization that stained the continent with blood.
A fearsome reputation built on dread.
Although they calmed down after a major clash with the Sword Saint, the name had already become a symbol of terror.
“Haah…”
Black mist billowed with the man’s breath.
“Yes. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.”
A metallic voice, as if rising from hell.
The voice came from the man’s mouth.
“Failing to split the Empire through civil war. The children planted in the palace got filtered out… Yes.”
Each exhaled word mixed with black smoke filled the room.
“Yes. Nothing succeeded. Only failures.”
He exhaled one last breath and turned his head.
Dozens of Black-robed Men prostrated flat on the floor, bowing deeply.
They were all Heuka executives.
“The children sent into the Imperial Palace lost contact all at once.”
“Yes.”
The frontmost executive’s answer was emotionless and without hesitation.
Because that was how they were made.
“What’s the reason?”
“Unknown.”
“Unknown, huh… Did we miss something?”
“A new figure has appeared. Someone who sided with the Imperial Princess in the war. Hio Pavlenko.”
“Hio Pavlenko. Never heard that name before.”
The Black-robed Man answered while still bowed, steady and unshaken.
“He’s a weirdo who calls himself a mage. He apparently uses some decent skills, but we can’t determine his exact level. He seems to have become a variable in this war.”
The man’s gaze fixed on the bowed executive’s back.
“Variable. Right. Variable. So that variable eliminated our children during the war. Picked them off one by one, including those who infiltrated the palace.”
“No other variables have appeared, so that’s the most likely cause for now.”
“Understood.”
The man reached out his hand.
“Then you understand as well.”
The black mist thickened inside the room.
Black smoke began to be pulled out from the body of the bowed Black-robed Man who was reporting.
“Yes.”
At the man’s gesture, the black mist kept drawing out.
The executive’s face became noticeably pale, his skin tightening over his bones, but his voice did not waver at all.
“Yes.”
“That’s what you will do, Atawolf.”
The man before them was their master and leader of Heuka—Atawolf of the Black Mist.
So even if he pulled all the black mist from their bodies, they didn’t mind.
It was already their lifeline.
Though surely death would come once it was all drawn out, they calmly bowed their heads, waiting for the inevitable.
Again, I stress, that was how they were made.
“Yes. Understood.”
Finally, all the mist was pulled from the Black-robed Man, and the black robes collapsed to the ground.
Only bones and skin remained, lifeless.
Still, no one in the room showed the slightest sign of disturbance.
Only an eerie atmosphere remained.
Atawolf calmly pointed to another Black-robed Man beside him.
“What is the whereabouts of Hio Pavlenko?”
Without hesitation, the pointed executive answered.
“Imenia Academy.”
Though the voice was different, the absence of emotion in the reply was the same.
Atawolf finally nodded.
“Good. Then the children there are also at risk.”
“We judge that to be highly likely.”
From their perspective, that was the only logical conclusion.
The war was supposed to be a minor disturbance.
They were the ones causing chaos, so the mission shouldn’t have been difficult.
But as the war drew near, all contact with related individuals was cut off.
And the only variable in their sight was Hio Pavlenko.
The royal family experienced the same.
They tried to take advantage of the chaotic throne succession… but all contact with those infiltrated in the palace was cut at once.
Not a single Heuka member who had been secretly inside for a long time remained in communication.
That, too, happened while Hio Pavlenko was inside the palace.
“Right.”
Now, Hio Pavlenko was in Imenia.
Civil war—failure. Palace—infiltration—failure.
The next important institution: Imenia.
They couldn’t afford to lose the seeds they had sown with such difficulty.
Atawolf gestured.
“They need to be given an environment to run wild… yes.”
All the executives rose simultaneously.
“Go to Imenia.”
The doors opened.
The executives poured out.
“Kill, burn, seize. Destroy and overthrow. And…”
Black mist began to follow them.
“Find Hio Pavlenko.”
The return of terror.
“Tear him apart and kill him.”